Creativity is the power of imagination—the capacity to perceive new connections, generate novel ideas, and forge original solutions to problems. It is what distinguishes the talented craftsperson from the merely competent, the visionary leader from the plodding administrator, the inspired poet from the mere versifier. Those with keen creativity see possibilities where others see only what is.
Banal
Banal individuals are utterly lacking in originality. Their thoughts are clichés, their suggestions are the most obvious ones, and they cannot conceive of doing anything except as it has always been done. Art from their hands is derivative; schemes they devise are pedestrian; they are the sort who bore dinner companions by relating the same tired stories.
Predictable
Predictable folk have some capacity for thought, but it runs along well-worn paths. They apply existing solutions to existing problems, never quite thinking sideways. A craftsperson of predictable creativity makes good serviceable goods but never improves the design. Conversations with them are dependable but uninspiring.
Average
Average individuals have modest creative capacity. They can improve a design slightly, solve an unusual problem by trial and error, and occasionally generate an idea worth listening to. Most people possess such creativity—enough to manage their lives with minor innovations but not so much that they seem strange.
Innovative
Innovative folk are those who see different ways of doing things. A smith of innovative spirit improves a tool’s balance; a cook invents a new sauce; a builder suggests a stronger arch. They are sought out for their suggestions, and their improvements are usually sound, though occasionally spectacularly wrong.
Visionary
Visionaries perceive possibilities that others cannot imagine. They conceive of entirely new ways of working, new forms of art, new approaches to ancient problems. They are the ones who found the hidden trade route, designed the bridge that seemed impossible, or wrote the melody that was sung for generations. They are rare, and often misunderstood until history proves them right.
In Practice
When a carpenter is asked to design a new market stall, the banal one repeats the existing design exactly. The predictable one suggests minor variations. The average carpenter improves the drainage slightly. The innovative one reorganises the interior to hold fifty per cent more goods without additional footprint. The visionary suggests a design that changes how markets are built throughout the realm.